Business process outsourcing (BPO) services provider, Aegis BPO Holdings SA, has announced its investment in South African BPO start-up, Iningi Investments. The investment will see Aegis provide assistance worth over R1.5 million in the next three years. The deal will see Aegis BPO Holdings SA invest up to R500 000 per annum in the 83% black owned SME, with the explicit goal of assisting the company to grow and employ at least 100 employees and achieve sustainable maturity during the period.

“We are pleased to confirm this investment and believe this venture is a further demonstration of our continued commitment to South Africa,” says Kobus van der Westhuizen, Vice President of Aegis BPO SA.

“Our objective is to ensure that Iningi Investments becomes a successful player in the BPO market and we are prepared to get involved, to support them and ensure the company grows to be a significant player in the industry,” comments Van der Westhuizen.

Aegis BPO Holdings SA has also offered to share its industry expertise with Iningi Investments and will mentor the SME throughout its development.

The CEO of Iningi Investments, Adelaide Matlejoane has welcomed the gesture saying, “Financial support is essential for any start-up, especially one in the comparatively expensive BPO sector, however sharing of knowledge is invaluable.”

“We are pleased with Aegis’ willingness to assist in mentoring the team and in providing infrastructural support, which we believe is more sustainable to investments and will enable us to fast track our development and gain momentum immediately. Aegis’ approach is a holistic one, which if followed throughout the various industry will enable growth sustainable growth for SMEs,” says Matlejoane.

Industry experts including Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPeSA), the official industry body representing the call centre industry, business process outsourcing, and other business process services agree with this approach.

“Investments should not be just about financial support, but should also be about genuine skills and knowledge transfer. It’s the right to do BBBEE and we would like to see more of these kinds of mentoring deals being made as we believe they are most effective way of securing long-term growth in the sector,” comments Bulelwa Koyana, CEO of BPeSA.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Director Karen Liebenburg also notes that, “Government has prioritised the BPO sector and sees it as a key means of creating jobs and this kind of broad-based empowerment is another reason why we are working hard to attract companies like Aegis to South Africa - companies that promote job creation and the transfer of skills and knowledge.”